The McCain campaign released an ad today called Celeb that argues Obama is a global celebrity who is ready to take the stage but not ready to lead. The ad plays scenes from the large crowds that greeted Obama in Berlin and makes it seem like Obama’s worldwide popularity is dangerous.

The ad strikes me as particularly odd on two levels. First, McCain has talked a lot about the need for America to use all of the powers at its disposal, not just the military. He regularly says we need to think in terms of cultural and economic influence as well as military might. Thinking in these terms, Obama’s crowds in Berlin are a promising sign that America could regain some of our cultural leadership and this could give us greater influence to tackle issues from Iran to Afghanistan with a broader alliance. How we could we be safer, as the ad suggests, to have our current President, who spends his overseas trips doing sword dances with Saudi royalty while demonstrators line up to protest his visit in each country he touches down?

The second irony of the ad is it specifically says that Obama is an actor and therefore not a president. Has McCain forgotten his hero? He was, as we know from every speech he gave in the primary, a “foot soldier in the Reagan revolution.” News to McCain: Reagan was an actor and a transformational President. And Reagan’s “celebrity style” was part of what allowed him to be such an effective communicator. Reagan’s famous “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” was political theater… and it was highly effective.

If I were McCain, I’d stop putting out nonsensical ads criticizing my opponent for his worldwide appeal and try instead to learn something from my opponent about how to inspire others and create a vibrant movement for change.